Hunter Hosts 2006 Irrigation Industry Forum

Conference Brings Together Leading Irrigation Publications, Irrigation Association Representatives to Discuss Industry Outlook and Water-Conservation Technologies

Roundtable Discussions Focus on Joint Initiatives Between Industry, Associations and Publications

Leading editors and reporters from the top international, national and regional irrigation industry publications convened in southern California this week for an industry outlook conference hosted by Hunter Industries, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of irrigation equipment for landscape and golf.

Hunter’s 2006 Irrigation Industry Forum, held April 24 and 25, was also attended by representatives from the Irrigation Association, which has designated July as ‘Smart Irrigation Month.’ Panelists and participants discussed the overall outlook for the industry based on macro-economic and regional trends, emerging technologies, and the latest water conservation strategies.

“We are pleased that Hunter hosted this forum to openly discuss a full range of issues facing all of us in the irrigation industry,” said Andy Smith, state and affiliations director for the Irrigation Association and a presenter at the forum. “It is vitally important that manufacturers, publications and trade associations such as the IA work together to fully understand and effectively communicate the myriad issues facing all levels of the industry.”

Hunter President and CEO Richard E. Hunter, in opening the forum at the company’s newly remodeled San Marcos headquarters north of San Diego, underscored the importance of bringing together key editors and opinion-leaders from the major industry publications.

“These are the folks who our professional contractors and other customers turn to for the latest trends, outlooks and advancements,” Hunter noted. “In hosting this forum, we want to communicate as one voice that we are working every day on innovations and practices that are real-world responses to the economic forces and environmental concerns, while leveraging rapid technological advancements both within and outside our industry.”

Brandon Meadows, Hunter’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, stressed the importance of strong customer relationships and constant communication with them at all levels.

“Our company mission says it all: To be the landscape professional’s first choice in irrigation products and services,” Meadows said. “Meeting this objective means that as a company, Hunter will continue to build its global presence by promoting water-efficient practices in every part of the world – not only with our products but through comprehensive training programs and unrivaled customer support.”

Industry Outlook - Green

The 2006 Irrigation Industry Forum opened with a series of presentations from widely regarded industry experts, including a comprehensive “100,000-foot view” of economic trends that will have a direct effect on all areas of the irrigation industry - from manufacturers and professional contractors to municipalities, businesses and homeowners.

“A close look at both past and emerging geographical, demographic and even leisure trends throughout the U.S. paints a very favorable future for those irrigation companies and businesses that are at the leading edge of technologies while keeping customer needs and demands in balance,” said Jeff Carowitz, Hunter’s former Vice President of Marketing who now heads his own consulting firm, called Strategic Force.

Current and Emerging Technologies

Other topics covered during Hunter’s 2006 Industry irrigation Forum included an overview of the 21st century irrigation system, sharing the company’s vision for the components and design elements that will soon become commonplace as the industry embraces newer technologies. Data showing current and potential savings derived from these conservation practices highlighted the need for a strong partnership between industry groups, publishers and manufacturers to raise overall awareness levels.

New technologies in irrigation controls, largely due to advances in electronics and communications, were also discussed. This included the latest advances in decoder technology. Hunter expects decoder-based irrigation systems to become more popular as installation and material costs, such as copper wire, continue to escalate.

Industry participants were also given an overview of Hunter’s new ET System, an add-on climate-based automatic programming module designed for use with most Hunter residential/commercial controllers. With market availability starting this quarter, the ET System uses its own local sensor platform to measure Evapo-Transpiration (ET), and automatically creates an intelligent irrigation program for each watering day to replenish the plants’ moisture. ET-based irrigation is considered a “best practice” by the irrigation industry and water purveyors.

Education and Professionalism

Supporting education initiatives and professionalism throughout the irrigation industry was a key element of the forum. In presenting an overview of Hunter’s initiatives in these areas, Diane Noecker, Hunter’s Marketing Manager, stressed the importance of a wide variety of professional support, education and training programs, as well as Hunter’s role as a responsible community citizen.

“Building and maintaining brand loyalty in this business requires more than an outstanding reputation for reliability, durability and value at the product level,” Noecker said. “It also requires a creative, multi-pronged approach that promotes constant interaction with our distributors and contractors, who are a core part of our success here at Hunter.”

A discussion roundtable following the presentations provided ample opportunity for participants to share their views on an array of topics that affect professional irrigation contractors and distributors every day. Discussion topics included educational initiatives at several levels, including general business management, labor and workforce issues, ‘smart’ technologies that conserve water, pending legislation, and programs designed to raise overall industry awareness through associations such as the IA.

Hunter is among the world’s leading manufacturers of irrigation equipment for turf, landscape, and golf.